This invention pertains to a protective glove, particularly but not exclusively an insulated glove, such as a firefighter""s glove.
As exemplified in U.S. Pat. No. 4,918,756, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference, it is known to construct a firefighter""s glove from plural layers, which are stitched to one another along edge seams and which include a waterproof layer, a thermally insulative layer, and an abrasion-resistant layer.
Protective gloves of related interest are exemplified in U.S. Pat. No. 4,433,439, U.S. Pat. No. 4,441,213, U.S. Pat. No. 4,445,232, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,454,611, U.S. Pat. No. 5,349,705, U.S. Pat. No. 5,598,582, U.S. Pat. No. 5,644,797, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,822,796, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.
As exemplified in U.S. Pat. No. 3,867,727, U.S. Pat. No. 4,000,524, U.S. Pat. No. 4,441,213, supra, U.S. Pat. No. 4,494,249, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,016,286, it is known to configure protective gloves in patterns that are intended to facilitate flexing of their thumb-covering and finger-covering portions.
In commonplace terms, a hand may be conveniently described as having a thumb and four fingers, the thumb having knuckles and a tip and each finger having two knuckles and a tip, as having a palm, a back, and a heel, and as having a front face and a back face. In commonplace terms, a protective glove may be conveniently described as having a front face and a back face, a thumb-covering portion, and four finger-covering portions.
When a protective glove is worn on a hand, its front face covers the palm, a front portion of the thumb, and front portions of the fingers, its back face covers the back, a back portion of the thumb, and back portions of the fingers, its thumb-covering portion covers the thumb, and each finger-covering portion covers an associated finger.
This invention contemplates that, the protective glove is configured so that, when the protective glove is not being worn but is rested on a flat surface with either face resting on the flat surface, the thumb-covering portion has a generally uniform width except for the tip of the thumb-covering portion, and except for a wider region where the thumb-covering portion covers at least one knuckle of the thumb when the protective glove is worn, and each finger portion has a generally uniform width except for the tip of said finger-covering portion, and except for a wider region where said finger-covering portion covers at least one knuckle of the associated finger when the protective glove is worn.
Preferably, when the protective glove is not being worn but is rested on a flat surface with either face resting on the flat surface, the wider region of each finger-covering portion extends approximately as far as where said finger-covering portion covers the associated finger when the protective glove is worn.
Preferably, when the protective glove is not being worn but is rested on a flat surface with either face resting on the flat surface, the protective glove has a lateral bulge where the protective glove covers the heel of the hand when the glove is worn.
When the protective glove is worn on a hand, the wider regions of the protective glove accommodate widening of the thumb, fingers, and heel of the hand, as the hand is flexed, so as to facilitate flexing of the hand without binding of the protective glove on the hand.